Cable system for hoisting mechanisms



April 3, 1951 J. E. EVANS ETAL 2,546,991

CABLE SYSTEM FOR HOISTING MECHANISMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1, 1946 April 3, 1951 J. E. EVANS ET AL CABLE SYSTEM FOR HOISTING MECHANISMS Filed Nov. l, 1946 i D a y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOIR NEY Patented Apr. 3, 1951 CABLE SYSTEM FOR HOISTING MECHANISMS James E. Evans, Wallingford, Pa., and Robert M. Shirk, Wilmington, Del., assignors to Houdry Process Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application November 1, 1946, serial No. 707,162

11 Claims.

Our invention relates to a cable system utilizable for operating a single hoisting mechanism or a plurality of such mechanisms.

It is common practice to utilize a conveyor such as a skip or bucket for elevating material from a lower loading position to an upper unloading position. A conveyor of this character is operated by a cable which is supported by a system of pulleys for movement in one direction during elevation of the conveyor and in reverse direction during descent of the conveyor. During continued operation, the cable eventually becomes worn to such extent as to require replacement and, to this end, it becomes necessary to discontinue operation of the conveyor system for an extended period. This is disadvantageous and is overcome in a novel manner as described below.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, we provide a cable which comprises an active or operative portion supported in suitable manner and connected to the skip or bucketconveyor. In order to elevate the conveyor, this active cable portion is moved in one direction on its supporting means whereas, when the conveyor is lowered, the active cable portion moves in reverse direction on said supporting means.r Aside from the aforesaid active or operative cable portion, the cable of our invention comprises an unused or new cable portion adapted to be incorporated in said active cable portion at a rate corresponding with the Vrate of withdrawal of used cable therefrom, Hence, by properly selecting the rate of cable incorporation and withdrawal, unused cable may be gradually added to the activecable portion while withdrawing used cable therefrom to thereby prevent deterioration of said active cable portion below a safe operating limit.

When a pair of hoisting mechanisms are operated alternately as hereinafter described, the active cable portion of our invention is connected, preferably, in loop formation to each of the conveyors, the length of one cable loop decreasing as the associated conveyor is elevated and the length of the other cable loop increasing as the associated conveyor is lowered. In accordance with the invention, undue deterioration of this active cable portion containing the described loops is prevented in the manner described above.

Various other objects, advantages and features of our invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

Our invention resides in the novel cable system, combinations and arrangements of the character hereafter described and claimed.

For an understanding of our invention and for an illustration of one of the forms thereof, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional-elevational View, partly diagrammatic, illustrating the hoisting system of our invention; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating a feature of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, I have shownduplicate hoisting mechanisms H which, in the form of the invention herein shown, face each other in symmetrical relation. Each mechanism H comprises a housing l having rising therefrom a xed vertical standard 2 utilizable for supporting spaced sets of track members 3 which are disposed in a single plane or substantially so. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the lower ends of the "respective sets of track members are inclined toward each other whereas the upper ends therof are^inclined from each other. Associated with each set of track members' is a conveyor, bucketor' skip 'i carrying upper and lower axles 5, Fig. 2, on which are journalled wheels B coactabl/ewith the track .inemb'ers 3, respectively. Fixed to the -bottom of the bucket 4 is a transversely extending shaft l, Fig. 2, having projecting ends to which a bail is connected, the arrangement being such that the bucket 4, when in unloading position, is freely movable with respect to said bail 8.y

A flexible cable or rope 9 formed from steel or other suitable material is connected to each bail 8 and, when actuated as hereinafter described, one bucket 4 is elevated while the other is descending. Thus, alternately, each set of wheels 6 guide the associated bucket 4 from its lower loading position to the upper unloading or discharge position where it is tilted with respect to the associated bail 8 for discharge purposes and then automaticaly returned to its upright position prior to descent thereof to loading position. I-loisting mechanisms of the character described are well known in the art and the description referred to above is considered as affording a sufficient basis for an understanding of the invention hereinafter to be described. y

As indicated in Fig. 2, each bail 8 carries a transversely extending axle Il having wheels l2 secured to the respective oppositer ends thereof, these wheels I2 being coactable, respectively, with one set of the track members 3. l Loosely pivoted on the axle i l are a pair of spaced links l 3 which support a freely rotatable pulley I 4, or equivalent.

In theform of the invention herein shown, a1- though not necessarily, a pair of pulleys or wheels I6, Ia are disposed symmetrically above the hoisting mechanisms H. These pulleys occupy the same transverse plane and are journalled for rotatable movement in any suitable manner, not shown. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the pulley i6 is adapted to be rotated by an electrical motor il, or equivalent, which supplies thefpower for operating the disclosed mechanism.

Disposed below the aforesaid pulleys are a pair of duplicate pulleys or wheels IB, Ia which are flanked, on opposite respective sides. thereof,.by

pulleys i9, or equivalent, the pulleys I8,V ISazandi9 being disposed in the same plane as the pulleys i6, 16a. As hereinafter described, it is afeaturev of the invention that driving power is appliedrto the pulleys i3 and iSd when desired'and, torthis end, any suitable arrangement may be utilized.

Thus, for example, a disk 26, Fig. 2, may loe-.dis-

posed in frictiona-l or gear-meshing engagement with said pulleys I8 and I8a, power beingsupplied to said disk 2D by` an electrical motor 2I, or equivalent, which may AbeY connected thereto by gear1 mechanism comprising: a worm 22a connected to the armature of motor 2.1;.saidv gear mechanism further comprisingia worm wheel 22h coactable with the worm 22a. and connected to the disk 2U.

In accordance with the invention, the .hereinbefore described cable 8 extends froma reel 23, upwardly over the pulley lBa and the adjacent idler pulley I9, downwardly beneath the pulleyv ill of the bucket il at the left, Fig. 1, upwardly over the pulleys ld and i6, downwardly beneath the pulley lil of the bucketli at'the'right, Fig. l, upwardly over the' adjacent'idler pulley i9', and

the pulley lil and then downwardly'to a'suitable.

receptacle 2li or the like. Itwill beiunderstood, then, that there is a zone through which a portion of the cable 3 extends from the'Y pulley I8a to the pulley I8 by way ofthe loops'extending to the respective buckets 4. It' is'this cable'portiony which is actuated to elevate-and rlower saidbuckets and, hence, saidca'ble" portion will behereinafter referred to as the active cable portion.`

Initially, for purposes of explanation, it'will be assumed that the motor 2l is deenergized.y It will also be assumed that the active portion of the cable 9 is bound to and, hence,` incapable of moving with respect to the pulleys I8, Illa which, when the motor 2l is deenergized; remain stationary for the reasons hereinafter:described. To this end, the cable may be' looped around each of said pulleys as indicated in Fig. 2 and itfol-lows, there'- fore, in effect, that said active portion of the cable 9 is anchored to the pulleys last named.

When the conditions areV as described above with the parts positioned asv shown in Fig. 1',

the motor Il may be energizedto rotate the pulley i6 in a clockwise direction. In so doing, the active cable portion between the anchoring pulleys i8, Illa. is actuated to cause' the cable loop at the left to be shortened whereas'the cable loop at thel has been loaded,.thedirectionof rotation of the pulley iis reversed andthe buckets 4 are re'- 4 turned to the respective full line positions thereof shown in Fig. l.

Any suitable mechanism as known in the art may be utilized for automatically controlling operation of the buckets ll in the manner described above. The details of such-mechanism form no part ofthe present invention and, therefore, description thereof has been omitted from this specication.

During the opera-tion described above, the weight of the buckets 4 and the material carried thereby tends to rotate the pulley I8 clockwise andthe pulley Ia counter-clockwise, Fig. 1. Despite this', however, these pulleys remain stationary by reason ofthe rotation-impeding effect exercised on the-worm wheel 22h by the worm 22a. When the motor. 2.I is operated for cable-feeding purposes as hereinafter described, the worm 22a eifectivelyrotates the worm wheel 22h to thereby rotate the pulleys 58a, IE in a counter-clockwise direction, Fig. 1. This operation proceedsin the intended manner during operation .of the hoist.-` ing system since, due to the described relation; which exists between the worm 22a and the worm wheel 22h, the weight of the buckets 4 andthe contents thereof is ineffectiveto produce any ro.- tation of the pulleys ia', i8. or toprevent rota-- tion thereof under the control of the motor 2 I.

l-loisting cables of the character herein described become worn during continuedoperationA of the hoisting mechanism and', in prior practice, it has been necessary to replace the cable as an. entirety when such a worn condition-develops to a suflicient extent. When this is to -be done, it

' becomes necessary to. discontinue operation of the hoisting system and this, when continuouselevation of material isrequired, yis highly undesirable. In accordance with the invention, the necessityfor discontinuing operation to replace a worn cable as noted above is obviated in a novell manner as hereinafter described.

Thus, referring to Fig. 1., thev hereinbefore .de-1 scribed reel 23 has wound thereon an extended length of unused or new cable. At any time during operation of the hoisting system, the motor 2I may be utilized to rotate the pulleys I8a andY I8v ina counter-clockwise direction, Fig. 2, and thereby move the cable 9 in such manner that a portion-of the unused cable from the reel 23 moves lwith respect to the pulley 18a into vthe described zone of the active cable portion and, inso doing,. is incorporated in the latter. Simultaneously, a. portion of used cable havingthe-sarne length as. said unused cable portion moveswith respect to the pulley i8 from saidzone of. the activecable. portion andhence, is withdrawn from the latter;V This action occursby reason of thefact that the., pulleys IBa and i8 have the same diameter.. Some elongation of the active Ycable portion may occur. during operation of vthehoisting system-andto compensate for this, Ait..may be .desirable'forthe diameter of the pulley ito'be. slightly-greater. than that of the pulley 88a so that the-length ofy used cable-which is withdrawn from the aforesaid zone is slightly greater thanthe lengthofL unused cable which is introducedthereinto. As a-A result, during continued. intermittentor nonv intermittent operation of the motor. 2l for cable-- feeding purposes as described above, wear ofthe active cable portion, as imposed by the pulleys or rollers which it engages, is distributed substan tially a uniform manner.

The rate at which cable -isthus supplied to and withdrawn from the' zone of' the active cable portion should beseleoted so that' saidv active cable portion does not deteriorate below a safe operating limit. To this end, during each twenty-four hour period or other suitable interval, a selected suitable length oi cable should be supplied to and withdrawn from the aforesaid zone in the manner stated. Obviously, during repeated operation of the motor 2l each of these cable lengths moves progressively from the pulley i8a to the pulley i8 and, in so doing, is successively in frictional engagement with each of the pulleys following the pulley Ita. Necessarily, each cable length is worn to some extent by each of the pulleys and the total amount oi this wear should be insufficient to cause cable deterioration below safe operating limits. In accordance with the invention and as stated, such cable deterioration is controlled in a desired manner by properly selecting the rate of introduction of unused cable into and withdrawal oi used cable from the Zone between the pulleys l 3a and i8.

Thus, it is a feature of our invention that, in so far as cable wear is concerned, continuity of operation of the hoisting mechanism is dependent only on the amount of unused cable which is available for introduction into the system,l This, in turn, is dependent upon the storage capacity of the reel 23 and, in lieu of this reel, it shall be understood that any other suitable arrangement may be provided for storing a desired quantity of unused cable for the purpose stated.

The motor 2l hereinbefore described may operate continuously so that, at suitable rate per unit of time, there is constant introduction of unused cable into the aforesaid zone and constant withdrawal of used cable therefrom. Or, if desired, the motor 2l may be operated intermittently to accomplish this purpose.

It was hereinbefore stated that the cable 9, in eiect, is anchored to the pulleys I8, 18a during operation of the hoisting system. This condition is not affected by operation of the motor 2l as and for the purpose described above. Thus, either during operation or non-operation of said motor 2i, the cable 9, in so far as it is iniiuenced by operation of the motor 2| and the buckets 4, is anchored to said pulleys i8, lila and, hence, is incapable of moving with respect to the latter. When the motor 2i is operated to rotate the pulleys last named, it is true that the cable il does move with re'oect thereto but this is without effect upon the anchoring action which the pulleys l2, ld exercise on the cable 9 to resist slippage thereof during operation of the hoisting system.

It is a feature of the invention, then, that, during normal operation of the hoisting system and under the control of the motor 2l, unused cable may be introduced into the zone between the pulleys Ita, i3 and used cable withdrawn therefrom. The invention, however, is not to be thus limited. Thus, the motor 2| may be operated for the purpose stated even though the hoisting system. is not operating under the con= trol of the motor i 1. Hence, the invention is applicable to hoisting systems which operate either continuously or non-continuously.

For purposes of explanation, the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to a hoisting system which, generally, is diagrammatic in character. Obviously, in actual practice, there may be wide departure from the disclosed system particularly as regards the pulley system, the power source for hoisting purpose, the arrangement for introducing cable into and withdrawing cable from the zone between the pulleys isa and i8, the arrangement for anchoring the cable at the respective ends of said zone, etc. More particularly, it will be understood that the disk 2G, the gear mechanism comprising the gear wheels 22a and 22h and the motor 2l may be omitted and, if so, the cable may be otherwise moved iorthe purpose described. Thus, for example, the used portion or the cable extending below or from the roller i8 may be actuated in suitable manner, when desired, to move the cable as a unit so that unused cable is introduced into and withdrawn from the zone of the active cable portion. Except, then, as set forth in the appended claims, the invention is not to be limited to the hoisting system herein disclosed.

It shall he understood that the invention is not to be limited to a system comprising a pair of the hoisting mechanisms H. If desired, one of these mechanisms may be omitted although, as vill be understood, the cable loop leading to the omitted mechanism should be retained. In View of the previous description, it will be understood that the motor 2i or equivalent is operative, as regards the single hoisting mechanism, for introducing unused cable into the zone of the active cable portion and withdrawing used cable therefrom.

It was hereinbefore stated that the invention relates particularly to a hoisting system adapted for continuous operation. A hoisting system of this character is required, for example, in the art of converting hydrocarbon material in a system wherein spent contact material is elevated to the top of a regenerating housing and regenerated contact material is elevatedto the top of a reaction housing, the contact material gravitating downwardly through these housings for purposes well understood in the art.

Thus, referring to Fig. 1, a hydrocarbon converting system of the character noted is shown as comprising a reaction housing 25 and a regenerating housing 26. A conduit 2l leads from the lower end of the reaction housing 25 to a chute 28 associated with the housing l at the right. Similarly, a conduit 29 leads from the lower end of the regenerating housing 25 to a chute 3! associated with the housing l at the left. Chutes 3| and 32 extend from the respective unloading positions of the hoisting mechanisms H and communicate with the respective upper ends of the housings 25 and 26.

As indicated in Fig. l, the chutes 28 and 3@ are adapted, alternately, to deliver contact material to the conveyors or buckets 4 while they are in loading position. The chutes 3l and 32 are adapted, alternately, to deliver contact material from thc respective unloading positions of the buckets t to the reaction housing and the ree generating housing 2li.

Assuming that the parts are positioned as shown by the full lines in Fig. l, the regenerated contact material from the lower end of the regenerating housing 25 moves, under the inuence of gravity, through the conduit 29, the chute 3i) and thence into the adjacent bucket At this time, the bucket l of the hoisting mechanism H at the right, i, is in unloading-position so that spent contact material passes therefrom to the upper end of said regenerating housing 2S by way of the chute 32. During this operation, a suitable arrangement, not shown, is utilized to temporarily discontinuing passage of spent contact material from the lower end of the conduit 2l.

After the bucket 4 of the hoistingmechanism I-Iv'atthe. left, Fig.: 1:, vhasfbeenzlled with'regenerated .contact.material,. the lhoisting lsystem is op eratedtorelevate the bucket last named to un loadinglpositionand to lower the other bucket 4 to loading position. The respective buckets remain in these positions for an interval during which spent 1 contact material passes from the lower end of the reaction ho-using by way of conduit 2'! and thence through the-chute 23 into the-bucket i of the hoisting mechanism H at the right, Fig. l. As this operation proceeds, regenerated contactv material passes from theele- Vated bucket @to the upper end of the reaction housing 25 -by way of the chute 3i. While this happens, a suitable arrangement, not shown; is utilized to temporarily' discontinue passage of regenerated contact material from the lower end of-theconduit 29.

Despite the' foregoing description relating to elevation of .a particular kind of material by the bueketsli, it will be understood that there is to be nolimitation of the invention in this respect. Obviously, the hoistingsystem of the invention may beutilized as desired for elevating any suitable Vmaterial from a lower loading station to an upper unloading station.

While the invention has been described with respect to a certain particular preferred exam-ple which givesn satisfactory results, it will be under stoodfby those skilled in the art, after understanding-fthe invention, that various changes and modicationsmay be'fmade without departing frornthe spirit and scope of the invention and it isfintended, therefore, in the appended claims to cover all changes and modifications.

We claim as-our invention:

l; In afcable-operated elevating device, a cable. spaced rotatablev members for xedly anchoring said'cableintermediate the'ends thereof to pro vide; an'active` cable portion', said-active cable portion comprising a loop suspended between one ofsaid'rotatable members and-a cable-supporting: pulley-over which said active cable portion is passed, a load-supporting device suspended by said loop, means for rotating said cable-support; ing-pulley alternately in opposite directions for lengthening and shortening said loop `and theren by respectively lowering and raising said loadsupportingdevice, said cable being further provide'dwitn an integral inactive portion extending beyond" saidrotatable members to a cable supply reservoir, and means for rotating said spaced rotatable members to incorporate a desired length of the inactive cable into the active cable portion and simultaneously withdraw some oi the previously active cable portion therefrom.

2. In combination, a bucket, a cable having an unused portion extending toward a Zone wherein the active portion of the cable is connected to said bucket, means for supporting said active cable portion for movement in said zone, means for operating said active cable portion to move said bucket from a loading position to an unloading position, and means operative during operation of said second named means for incorporating some Vof the unused cable in the active cable portion' and withdrawing some of the used cable from said active cable portion, said last named means comprising: a feeding pulley around which part of said unused portion of the cable is wound, driving means operatively connected to said feeding pulley andbeing operative whenenergized to rotate said'pulley in a direction for incorporating,some of the unused .cable in the-active cable r tionof unused cable at one portion and .operatingto restrain rotation ofsaid pulley whennot so energized.

3. In combination, a bucket, a cable having an.k

unusedportion extending toward .a Zone whereinV the-a'ctiveportion of the cable is loopedtoi said bucket, means' for supporting said active-cable portionfor movement in said zone; means formoving said active cable portion in one directionl to elevate said bucket from a lower to anupper position, said active cable portion moving in reverse during descent of said bucket, and mechanically operated means for incorporating .some of the unused cable from said active cable portion, said mechanically operated meanscom# pri-sing a pair of spaced pulleys around which said cable is wound at respective opposite ends of said active cable portion, driving mechanism operatively associated with said spaced pulleys to re strain rotation of said pulleys when said driving mechanism is stationary and to causerotation of said pulleys when ysaid driving mechanism. is actuated, said mechanism while thus ac.- tuated causing rotation of one of said spaced. pulleys in direction effecting the said incorporand of said active portion and causing rotation of the other of .said pulleys in a direction effecting said withdrawal of used cable at the other end of said active portion, the ength of the unused portion of said cable being substantial so that operation of said lai-t named means at the proper rate insures maintenance over a long period or" time of. anactive cable portion having the requisite strength.

4. In combination, track means extending from a lower loading position to an upper unloading position, a bucket guided'by said track means, a

cable having an unused portion extending toward a Zone wherein the active portion of the cable is looped to said bucket, means for supporting said active.:cable portion for movement in said zone, means forV operatingfsaid active cable portion to move said bucket between said positons, androtatable means for moving said cable to incorporate some of the unused cable in the active'cable portion while withdrawing some of the used cable from said active cable portion, said rotatable means comprising a pair of spaced pulleys around which said cable is wound at respective opposite ends of said active cable portion, driving mechanism operatively associated with said spaced pulleys to restrain rotation of said pulleys when said driving mechanism is stationary and to cause rotation of said pulleys when said driving mechanism is actuated, said driving mechanism while thusv actuated causing rotation of one of said spaced pulleys in a direction effecting the said incorporation of unused cable at one end of said active portion and causing rotation of the other of said pulleys in a' direction eiecting said withdrawal of used cableat the other end of said active portion.

5; In combination, track means extending from a lower loading position to an upper unloading postion,y a vbucket guided by said track means, a pair. of spaced cable-anchoring means, a cable having an unused portioncxtending toward and intoA engagement'withone anchoring means from which the active portion of the cable-extends toi the other anchoring means after being looped to said. bucket, said pair of cable-anchoring means defining the respective ends of a Zone wherein said active cable portion is supported so as.to move said bucket between said positions,

means for operating said active cable portion for.

theipurposestated, andmeans-for moving said 9, cable with respect to said spaced cable-anchoring means while they remain in cable-anchoring relation to progressively introduce the unused portion of the cable into said zone while progressively withdrawing the used portion thereof from said zone.

6. In combination, sets of track means extending, respectively, from lower loading positions to upper unloading positions, a bucket guided by each track means, a pair of spaced cable anchoring means, a cable having an unused portion extending toward and into engagement with one anchoring means from which the active portion of the cable extends to the other anchoring means, said active cable portion, in the Zone between said pair of anchoring means, being adapted to denne, rst, a long loop which is connected to one bucket while in loading position and, second, a short loop which is connected to the other bucket while in unloading position, roller means for supporting said active cable portion, means for operating said active cable portion to move said buckets in reverse directions along the respective sets of track means, and means for incorporating some of the unused cable in the active cable porton and withdrawing some of the used cable from said active cable portion.

7. In combination, sets of track means extending, respectively, from lower loading positions to upper unloading positions, a bucket guided by each track means, a pair of spaced cable-anchoring means, a cable having an unused portion er:- tending toward and into engagement with one anchoring means from which the active portion of the cable extends to the other anchoring means, said active cable portion, in the zone between said pair of anchoring means, eing adapted to denne, rst, a long loop which is connected. to one bucket while in loading position and, second, a short loop which is connected to the other bucket while in unloading position, roller means for supporting said active cable portion, means for operating said active cable portion to move said buckets in reverse directions along the respective sets oi track means, and means for moving said cable with respect to said spaced anchoring means while they remain in cable-anchoring relation to introduce some of the unused portion of the cable into said Zone while withdrawing some of the used portion thereof from said zone, the length of the unused portion of said cable being substantial so that operation of said last named means at the proper rate insures maintenance over a long period of time of an active cable portion having requisite strength.

8. In combination, sets of track means extending, respectively, from lower loading positions to upper unloading positions, a bucket guided by each track means, a pair of spaced rollers to each of which the cable is adapted to be anchored, a cable having an unused portion extending toward and into engagement with one roller from which the active portion of the cable extends to the other roller, said active cable portion, in the zone between said pair of spaced rollers, being adapted to denne, iirst, a long loop which is connected to one bucket while in loading position and, second, a short loop which is connected to the other bucket while in unloading position, roller means for supporting said active cable portion, means for operating said active cable portion to move said buckets in reverse directions along the respective sets of track means, and means for moving said cable with respect to said spaced rollers while they remain in cable-anchoring relation to progressively introduce the unused portion of the cable into said zone while progressively withdrawing the used portion thereof from said zone.

9. In combination, sets of track means extending, respectively, from lower loading positions to upper unloading positions, a bucket guided by each track means, a pair of spaced rollers to each of which the cable is adapted to be anchored, a cable having an unused portion extending toward and into engagement with one roller from which the active portion of the cable extends to the other roller, said active cable portion, in the zone between said pair of spaced rollers, being adapted to denne, first, a long loop which is connected to one bucket while in loading position and, second, a short locpwhich is connected to the other bucket while in unloading position, roller means for supporting said active cable portion, means for operating said active cable portion to move said buckets in reverse directions along the respective sets of track means, and means for moving said cable with respect to said spaced rollers while they remain in cable-anchoring relation to progressively introduce the unused portion of the cable into said Zone while progressively withdrawing the used portion thereof from said zone, said last named means comprising a source of power and a mechanical connection extending to both of said rollers for operating them jointly for the purpose stated.

10. In combination, a pair of buckets, a cable having an unused portion extending toward a zone wherein the active portion of the cable is connected to said buckets, means for supporting said active cable portion for movement in said zone, means for operating said active cable portion to move said buckets alternatelyI from loading positions to unloading positions, and means operative during operation of said second named means for incorporating some of the unused cable in the active cable portion and withdrawing some of the used cable from said active cable portion, said last named means comprising: a feeding pulley around which part of said unused portion of the cable is wound, driving means operatively connected to said feeding pulley and being operative when energized to rotate said pulley in a direction for incorporating some of the unused cable in the active cable portion and operating to restrain rotation of ,said pulley when not so energized.

1l. In a material hoisting device the combination of a skip, a pair of spaced cable anchoring means, a cable having an intermediate active portion looped to said skip and having terminal inactive portions, said active portion at the opposite ends thereof being anchored by engagement with said spaced anchoring means respectively to permit lengthwise movement of the active portion of the cable while maintaining said inactive portions stationary, means for moving the active portion of the cable lengthwise alternately` in opposite directions to thereby actuate said skip, and means for moving said cable with respect to said cable-supporting means, while they remain in cable-anchoring relation, progressively to feed a previously inactive portion of the cable to one end of said active portion thereof while progressively withdrawing a previously active portion from the opposite end thereof.

JAMES E. EVANS. ROBERT M. smak.

(References on following page) i1 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 125,978 Neal Apr. 23, 1872 141,513 [Nash Aug. 5, 1873 821,708 Edward May 29, 1906 Number Number Nme Date Tuney Nov. 6, 1934 Wood Jan. 23, 1940 Scharpenberg Feb. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date 4 Germany July 31, 1936 

